Report: Apple's Brand Value Worth More Than Apollo Space Program

We here at Mac|Life know that Apple's a pretty big deal, but we had little idea that its worth reaches astronomical proportions. According to a colorful new report from Brand Finance, a notable brand consulting agency, Apple's $104.7 billion brand value is worth "more than the cost of the Apollo Space Program in today's dollars."

Brand Finance's "Billion Dollar Brands Club" list for 2014 includes statistics for other companies as well, demonstrating Apple's brand dominance over recognizable names such as Google, Walmart, and AT&T. Apple's such a big deal, in fact, that its $105 billion value puts it well ahead of the $68.6 billion calculated for Google, who comes in at second place.

Apple, indeed, is the only company with a value exceeding $100 billion dollars. (The study mainly focuses on American companies, but it also included some world brands for comparison. Samsung's tally? $78.8 billion.) Brand Finance calculated this and other figures by considering a company's current and projected revenue and then estimating the royalty rates necessary to use a company's branding.

The study also confirmed that tech's the field to be in right now. Based on the data, 52 technology brands accounted for 22 percent of the statistics for the entire report, with retail and apparel coming in second place at 14 percent. Apple's also a winner just by being based on California--according to Brand Finance, the Sunshine State ranks as the best state for brand value.